Wheelbarrow.



No. 721,931. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903. v 0. A, BAKER. WHEELBARROW.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

lad 271235255 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. BAKER, OF WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN.

WH EELBARROW.

SPECIFICATION forming m Letters latent No. 721,931, dated March '3, 1903.

Application filed November 4, 1901. Serial No. 80,983; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of Waukesha, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheelbarrows, of which the following is hereby declared to be a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to wheelbarrows of the ordinary single-wheel type and seeks to provide a simple inexpensive antifrictionbearing for the Wheel of the barrow which will readily withstand hard usage.

In the common construction most generally employed the wheel is mounted upon a shaft fixed between the projecting ends of the side bars. In such a construction considerable friction is developed between the hub of the wheel and the fixed shaft, and the wear and tear incident to hard usage of the barrow will, particularly if the side bars are of wood, soon throw the wheel out of line and considerable eifort is needed to push the barrow.

The present invention seeks to provide simple and inexpensive means for obviating these objections; and for this purpose it consists in the features set forth in the following description, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The present improvements may be applied to barrows of different types; but in the draw- 1ngs- 7 Figure 1 illustrates a common type employed for carrying earth to which my inven- 7 tion may be applied. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view showing the improved means for mounting the supporting-wheel. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view, partially in section, of a modification.

The barrow comprises the converging side or frame bars 10, carrying the tray 11, projecting forwardly to form the handles 12 and rearwardly to form the pair of converging side bars or supports 13, between which the wheel 14 is revolubly inounted, legs 15, braces 16, extending between the legs and the side bars, and braces 17, extending between the tray 11 and the rearwardly-projecting wheelsupports 13. The wheel 14 is centrally fixed upon a tubular shaft or hub 18, which is revolubly mounted between the free ends of the side bars or supports 13 and which is preferably provided with cone-shaped ends, as at 19. Tubularbearings for the ends of said shaft or hub are provided and preferably in the form of boxes 20', which are fixed to the inner opposing faces of the side bars or supports 13 and which are preferably fitted within recesses 21, formed in the inner faces of the side bars. These boxes are fixed in position preferably by means of supporting-plates 22, formed in piece therewith or otherwise fixed thereto, and if the side supports 13 converge are preferably correspondingly inclined to the axis of the tubular bearing-box, as shown in Fig. 2. Plates 22 may be secured in position by any suitable means, but preferably in the case of wooden side bars by means of sharpened lugs 23, which may be cast in piece with the platesand boxes.

Ball-cups 24 are formed upon the bearingboxes, within'which are arranged the antifriction-balls 25, engaging the cone-shaped ends 19 of the tubular shaft or hub 18. The inner rim of the ball-cups 24 preferably extends somewhat beyond the cone-shaped ends 19 of the shaft 18 and in proximity to the peripheral surface of the shaft, as shown in Fig. 2, so that dirt will be excluded from the bearing.

A tie-bolt 26 extends freely through the side bars or supports 13, the tubular bearingboxes 20, and the tubular shaft or hub 18. To one end of the tie-bolt 26 is threaded an adjusting-nut 27 and look-nut 28, by which the ballfbearings may be adjusted to hold the tubular shaft and wheel firmly in posi- \tion and yet so that it may revolve freely without getting out of line.

Washers 29 are provided for each end of the tie-bolt 26, and in case the side bars 18 converge the inner faces of the washers bearing upon the side bars are correspondingly inclined.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 3 the parts are the same as those previously described, except that the bearing-boxes 20 and the shaft or hub 18, whereon the wheel 14 is fixed, are not tubular, but solid, an'dthe adjusting tie-rod 26 is arranged between the supports or side bars 13 at the rear of the wheel.

It will be seen that the bearing-boxes 20 for supporting the ends of the tubular shaft or hub 18 are rigidly and firmly held in position upon the side bars, so that the barrow may be subjected to hard usage without wearing the bearing for the supportingwheel and cause it to wabble or get out of line. The balls 25 form an antifriction-bearing between the wheel and its supports, so that the effort required to carry the load is considerably decreased. One particular advantage of the invention is that it may be readily and inexpensively applied to barrows as now constructed. The wheel and tubular hub are substantially like those in present use, and it is only necessary in my construction to form the cone-shaped ends and to fix the ball-supporting boxes in position upon the projecting ends of the side bars. The tie-bolt 26 forms simple and convenient means for accurately adjusting the parts.

It is obvious that the invention may be easily modified for different types of barrows and that the details maybe otherwise changed by the skilled mechanic without departure from the essentials of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a barrow, the combination with a pair of projecting side supports, ashaft revolubly mounted between said supports and a wheel fixed upon said shaft, of bearings for said shaft fixed to the opposing free ends of said supports, balls interposed between said bearings and the ends of said shaft and an independent tiebolt adjustablyextended between said supports.

2. In a barrow, the combination with a pair of projecting side supports, a shaft revolubly mounted between the free ends of said supports and a wheel fixed to said shaft, of bearings for said shaft fixed to the opposing free ends of said supports, ball-cups formed in said bearings, balls in said cups engaging the ends of said shaft and an independent tie-bolt adjustably extending between said supports.

3. In a barrow, the combination with apair of projecting side supports, a shaft having cone-shaped ends revolubly mounted between the free ends of said supports and a wheel fixed upon said shaft, of bearing-boxes fixed to the opposing free ends of said supports, ball-cups formed in said bearing-boxes, balls arranged in said cups and engaging the coneshaped ends of said shaft, an independent tie-bolt adjustably extended between said supports, and an adjustingnut threaded upon one end of said tie-bolt.

4. In a barrow, thecombination with a pair of projecting side supports, a shaft revolubly mounted between the free ends of said supports and a wheel fixed upon said shaft, bearing-boxes fixed to and seated within recesses formed in the opposing free ends of said supports, ball cups formed in said bearingboxes, balls arranged in said cups and engaging the ends of said shaft and an independent tie-bolt adjustably extended between said supports.

5. In a barrow, the combination with a pair of converging and projecting side bars, a shaft revolubly mounted between the free ends of said side bars and a wheel centrally fixed upon said shaft, of bearing-boxes each having a supporting-plate inclined to its axis by which said boxes are fixed to the opposing inner faces of the converging side bars, ballcups formed in said bearing-boxes, balls arranged in said cups and engaging the ends of said shaft and an independent tie-bolt adjustably extended between said side bars.

6. In a barrow, the combination with the projecting side bars, a tubular shaft revolubly mounted between the free ends of said side bars and a wheel centrally fixed upon said shaft, of tubular bearing-boxes fitted within recesses formed in the inner opposing faces of said side bars, ball-cups formed in said boxes, balls arranged in said cups and engaging the ends of said tubular shaft or hub and an independent tie-bolt extending freely and adj ustably through said bars, bearingboxes and tubular shaft or hub.

7. In a barrow, the combination with a pair of converging and projecting side bars, of a tubular shaft or hub revolubly mounted between the free ends of said side bars, and a wheel centrally fixed upon said shaft or hub, tubular bearing-boxes fitted within recesses formed upon the inner opposing faces of said side bars, supporting-plates formed in piece with said boxes, inclined to the axis thereof and having lugs engaging said side bars for holding said boxes in position, ball cups formed in said bearing-boxes, balls in said cups engaging the ends of said tubular shaft or hub and an independent tie-bolt extending freely and adjustably through said side bars, bearing-boxes and tubular shaft or hub.

8. In a barrow, the combination with the converging and projecting side bars, a tubular shaft or hub having cone-shaped ends revolubly mounted between the free ends of said side bars and a wheel centrally fixed upon said shaft or hub, of bearing-boxes fitted within the recesses formed in the free opposing faces of said side bars, supporting-plates for said boxes inclined to the axis thereof and by which said boxes are fixed in position, ball-cups formed in said boxes, balls arranged in said cups and engaging the coneshaped ends of said tubular shaft or hub, an independent tie-bolt extending freely and adj ustably through said side bars, bearingboxes and tubular shaft or hub and washers for the ends of said tie-bolt having inclined faces bearing against said side bars.

9. In a barrow, the combination with a pair of converging and projecting side bars, a tubular shaft or hub having cone-shaped ends revolubly mounted between the free ends of said side bars and awheel centrally fixed upon said shaft or hub, of bearing-boxes for said shaft or hub, supporting-plates formed in piece with said boxes and inclined to the axis thereof by which said boxes are fixed in position to the exposing inner faces of said side bars, ball-cups formed in said boxes, balls arranged in said cups engaging the cone-shaped ends of said shaft or hub, an independent tiebolt extending freely and adjustably through said side bars, bearing-boxes and tubular shaft or hub, and an adjusting-nut and locknnt threaded upon one end of said tie-bolt.

10. In a barrow, the combination with the pair of converging side bars 13, the tubular shaft or hub 18 having a wheel 14 centrally fixed thereon, of the bearing-box 20 having Witnesses:

ALBERTA ADAMIOK, GEo. P. FISHER, Jr. 

